Sniper appeal focuses on defendant’s self-representation

John Allen Muhammad’s lawyers should not have allowed him to represent himself at trial, according to arguments before a federal appeals panel.

According to The Washington Post, the argument before the 4th Circuit focuses on whether the D.C. sniper deserves a new trial because his attorneys should have told the judge that there was evidence he was mentally incompetent to represent himself.

If the appeals court turns him down, his only option to avoid execution would be intervention by the U.S. Supreme Court or Gov. Kaine.